Published November 28, 2021

Dr. Kumudu Gunasekera is a Colombo, Sri Lanka-based management consultant and strategic advisor to private equity firms, public and privately held corporations, and Fortune 100 global organizations.

He is currently the Joint Managing Director of Stax Inc (APAC region), a global strategy consulting firm that advices 100+ Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies.  Prior to Stax Inc, Dr. Gunasekera was a Principal Economist at Parsons Brinckerhoff (now rebranded as WSP), a leading global infrastructure group, in their Washington, D.C offices.  Dr. Gunasekera is also the co-founder of Sri Lanka@100 a private sector led initiative for value creation of mid sized firms in Sri Lanka. His insights and perspectives have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and industry magazines.  He has also instructed numerous undergraduate, graduate and professional courses while being an adjunct Professor at Boston University. 

In 2019, Dr. Gunasekera was recognized as one of the top 100 business leaders in the Sri Lanka. He was also a Past President of the American Chamber of Commerce; and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of John Keells Hotels, the largest luxury hotel chain in Sri Lanka with resorts in Maldives. He is also on the Advisory Boards of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, and the National Infrastructure Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. 

Kumudu earned his Ph.D. in Economic Geography, and a joint M.A. in International Relations and Environmental Policy from Boston University. He has a B.A. in Economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Recorded August 19, 2021.

Show Notes:

02:25 "If you've never experienced a bomb before, suddenly time stops and you see vibrations in slow motion."

03:20 "In Asia even the trishaw driver has a 20% growth mentality."

05:15 "Working on the Panama Canal expansion gave me an understanding of mega projects"

10:19 "The legacy of colonial divide and rule policies haunted post-independence Sri Lanka."

12:28 "The post-war growth spurt in Sri Lanka hit the dual hurdles of the Easter attacks in 2019 and now, COVID."

14:38 "Sri Lanka's economic growth strategy has never been purely tourism-centric."

15:30 "Not many people know about Sri Lanka's robust and growing knowledge services industry... It is becoming an innovation hub globally, boosted by the rise of remote work."

18:30 "Sri Lanka's comparative advantage is not just natural resources, but also its native capacity for innovation."

22:34 "Positioning Sri Lanka as a global hub is not a new thing--historically it has always been central to East-West trade routes."

23:16 "In the Sixties, Lee Kuan Yew came to Sri Lanka and said he wanted to model Singapore on Sri Lanka."

25:50 "Sri Lanka has the potential to be a hub for India/ South Asia, one of the fastest growing regions in the world."

27:10 "Sri Lanka has highly developed human capital."

29:36 "What Sri Lanka can learn from Singapore on balancing great power interests while maintaining its independence."

31:41 "Sri Lanka has arrived at a good understanding with all its regional neighbours."

33:20 "Sri Lanka's trade agreement with India includes the movement of people."

34:40 "Sri Lanka is very different from India."

35:40 "The solution to Sri Lanka's problems lie in economic development and delivering a good quality of life across the country."

40:47 "Sri Lanka will pay off its debt."

42:00 "Sri Lankan companies need to acquire a global mindset."

45:29 "Some recent success stories among Sri Lankan corporates."

48:40 "Advice to private equity and venture capitalists in Sri Lanka."

52:33 "Using Sri Lanka's considerable tourist attractions to entice investors to the country."

56:44 "It will be a tough ride, but it will be a good ride."

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